Rolls Royce Phantom: the epitome of luxury

Granted the Rolls Royce Phantom isn’t exactly a brand new car anymore, but I couldn’t help myself when this clip from Top Gear popped up on the interweb. Jeremy Clarkson takes the high priced saloon out on a test drive across the Humber Bridge, and as much as he wanted to hate the Phantom, he ends up falling in love with it. This car truly is the epitome of luxury.

You won’t find a cluttered dash with thousands of dials and switches. The transmission won’t confuse you with 17 gears, Tiptronic, or anything of that sort. Instead, this Rolls Royce is elegantly simple. There are only three gears: forward (drive), backwards (reverse), and neutral. The radio consists of a single dial: press it to power it up, turn it to adjust the volume, and that’s about it.

Unlike older Rolls Royce vehicles, the Phantom is utterly easy to drive (maybe not so easy to park) and is whisper quiet, despite the monstrous 6.75L German-made V12 found under the hood, capable of developing 452hp and 531 lbs-ft of torque. Sure, it can do the 0-60mph run in just 5.7 seconds, but that’s not the point of this car. It’s the lush leather, smooth ride, and prominent nose that screams, “Get out of my way! I’m richer than you!”